On 14 December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/77/161 at its 77th session to proclaim 30th March as International Day of Zero Waste, to be observed annually. It recognizes that human waste disposal continues to grow and be mismanaged in landfills, open dumping or open burning. Every year across the globe more than two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is produced. These cause air, land and water pollution in rivers and the ocean, leading to negative impacts on environmental and human health.
More information: UN-Resolution-A-RES-77-161-Zero-Waste-2022.pdf (greenhub.org.vn)
We also do not treat waste as a possible resource, that could be reused or recovered much more than we are doing now. More responsible lifestyles require action at many levels: the public can change consumption and disposal habits and reuse and repair products as much as possible; waste can be sorted at source at homes and businesses facilitating improved disposal and recovery, and manufacturers can design products to be reused and with fewer low-impact materials. These all lead to minimizing waste, as well to conserve our limited natural resources.
The Vietnamese Zero Waste Alliance – VZWA (https://zerowastevietnam.org/) is a national network created by local organizations that promotes a responsible “Zero Waste” lifestyle across the country. GreenHub (www.greenhub.org.vn) is a co-founder and member of VZWA and since 2019 promotes a Zero Waste program with the country’s youth in its “Zero Waste School Alliance and More Network (ZHub)” from primary schools to universities, including an Annual ZHub Forum. It also promotes similar waste management projects in homes, hotels and businesses, including working with the private sector in adopting an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach.
